Prince-Bishopric of Verden
Prince-Bishopric of Verden Principality of Verden (Hoch)Stift Verden (1180–1648) | |||||||||
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| 1180–1648 | |||||||||
The territory of Verden (pink, below right) around 1655 | |||||||||
| Status | State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Verden (seat of chapter), Rotenburg (residence of pr.-bishops since 1195)¹ | ||||||||
| Common languages | German, Low German | ||||||||
| Religion | Catholic Church till the 1550s, then Lutheranism | ||||||||
| Government | Ecclesiastical principality | ||||||||
| Ruler | |||||||||
• 1395–1398 | Prince-Bishop Dietrich | ||||||||
• 1398–1399 | Prince-Bishop Conrad II | ||||||||
• 1623–29, 1635–45 | Administrator Frederick II | ||||||||
• 1630–1631 | Prince-Bishop Francis | ||||||||
• 1631–1634 | Admin. John Frederick | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Break-up of Saxony | 1180 | ||||||||
| 15 May 1648 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1806 | 730 km2 (280 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1806 | 20,000 | ||||||||
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1: Rotenburg castle was built in 1195, this may have been when the diocese had effectively acquired territorial power as prince-bishopric. | |||||||||
The Prince-Bishopric of Verden (German: Fürstbistum Verden, Hochstift Verden or Stift Verden) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was located in what is today the state of Lower Saxony in Germany. Verden had been a diocese of the Catholic Church since the middle of the 8th century. The state was disestablished in 1648. The territory was managed by secular lords on behalf of the Bishop of Verden. As a Prince-Bishopric of the Empire, the territory of the state was not identical with that of the bishopric, but was located within its boundaries and made up about a quarter of the diocesan area. By the terms of the Peace of Westphalia, the Prince-Bishopric was disestablished and a new entity was established, the Duchies of Bremen and Verden.